Sex offender arrestedThe Russellville Police Department reported that David Green, 36, an absconder wanted by the department for failing to comply with certain aspects of his sex offender registry and for failing to appear to court on felony charges, has been apprehended in Colorado. RPD has been seeking Green since late November.

Dozens of dogs poisoned then fatally shot in rural Arkansas LITTLE ROCK — A humane society official said Monday that dozens of dogs were fed hotdogs laced with sleeping pills then shot to death in rural northern Arkansas. Searcy County Humane Society Treasurer Jean Passmore said a couple of loggers were looking at the uninhabited timber land Thursday near Arkansas Highway 254 in rural Searcy County, about 100 miles north of Little Rock, when they came across the bodies of some of the dogs. The loggers ...

Sex offender arrested in Colorado The Russellville Police Department reported that David Green (5-10-79), an absconder wanted by the department for failing to comply with certain aspects of his sex offender registry and for failing to appear to court on felony charges, has been apprehended in Colorado. RPD has been seeking Green since late November. RPD did not release any other information at this time.

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Courier staff reportsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Police: Sobriety checkpoints continue after court ruling LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas State Police have announced that they will continue to conduct sobriety checkpoints as part of an annual holiday initiative, one week after the state Court of Appeals ruled one such stop was unconstitutional. State police arrested Jeremy Whalen in September 2012 at a sobriety checkpoint on Interstate 540 near Fort Smith. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1Zldm7O ) reports that the Arkansas Court of Appeals ove...

Johnson County judge orders mental evaluation for suspect CLARKSVILLE — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a man accused of killing a reserve sheriff's deputy as part of his defense of mental disease or defect. Fifty-one-year-old Fred Kauffeld is charged with two counts of capital murder — one in the shooting death of 42-year-old County Reserve Deputy Sonny Smith and another during a burglary. He's also charged with attempted capital murder and residential burglary. Johnson County Circuit Co...

Police seek suspect in slayingA patrolman with the Clarksville Police Department observed a disturbance at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the front yard of a residence in the 200 block of North Rogers Street, according to a release made by the Clarksville Police Department. The patrolman made contact with the subjects and was advised of a man in his early 30s who had been stabbed and was unresponsive. The patrolman performed CPR until EMS arrived on scene and transpor...

Clarksville Police look for subject in stabbing that left one person deadIn a release from the Clarksville Police Department, a patrolman with the Clarksville Police Department observed a disturbance at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 in the front yard of a residence in the 200 block of North Rogers Street. The patrolman made contact with the subjects and was advised of a male subject in is early 30s that had been stabbed and was unresponsive. The Patrolman performed CPR on the unresponsive male subject until EM...

Broadway play wins lawsuit over heirs to ‘Who’s on First’NEW YORK — Abbott and Costello’s heirs struck out Thursday in their efforts to prove copyright claims against the producers of a Broadway play in which a character uses a sock puppet to perform part of the comedians’ famous “Who’s on First” routine. “The complaint doesn’t get past first base,” U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels wrote as he dismissed the lawsuit filed in Manhattan in June. The copyright holders had accused “Hand to God” prod...

Former Arkansas prison chaplain charged with sexual assault LITTLE ROCK — A former chaplain at an Arkansas women's prison was charged with sexual assault Thursday, after authorities said he coerced three inmates into having weekly sexual encounters with him and said no one would believe them if they told prison officials. Prosecutor Henry Boyce announced Thursday that 50 counts of third-degree sexual assault had been filed against 67-year-old Kenneth Dewitt. The affidavits obtained from the Jackson Cou...

Disney, other major parks to install metal detectors for holiday seasonORLANDO, Fla. — With the nation increasingly concerned about safety in public, three major theme parks announced Thursday that they are adding security measures including metal detectors ahead of the busy holiday season. Officials at Disney, Universal and SeaWorld’s Florida theme parks said all three parks will be using metal detector screening for guests as they enter. In addition, Disney is discontinuing the sale of toy guns at both its Flor...

London standoff ends peacefullyAccording to a release by the Pope County Sheriff’s Department, at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday, the Pope County Sheriff’s Deputies, Russellville Police and Arkansas State Police attempted to serve a search warrant at a residence located at 5610 S.R. 333 North. Upon arrival, law enforcement was notified that one of the occupants, Bobby Gene Bridgeman, 31, had made statements that any attempt made by law enforcement to enter the residence wou...

Woman fatally shot, man wounded in Jonesboro residence JONESBORO — Jonesboro police are investigating a shooting that has left one person dead and another injured. Police Department spokesman Paul Holmes says the department responded to a report of a shooting at a residence shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1IcOzi5 ) that officers found a woman fatally shot and a man injured by gunshots. The man was taken to a local hospital and was reported to be ...

Russellville man killed in Chattanooga to be awarded Purple HeartNASHVILLE, Tenn. — After determining a shooting at a Chattanooga reserve center this summer was inspired by foreign terrorists, the Navy will award the Purple Heart to the four Marines and one sailor who were killed and the one Marine who was injured there. U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the decision Wednesday in a news release. He said the finding that the shooting was terrorist-inspired came after an extensive investigation by the F...

After confession, man could be freed after 28 years in jailDENVER — A man imprisoned for 28 years after a woman said she dreamed that he raped her could be freed after a Denver judge overturned his conviction, saying he would likely be acquitted at a new trial because someone else confessed to the crime. Clarence Moses-EL was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to 48 years in prison for raping and assaulting a woman when she returned home from a night of drinking. When police initially asked who attacked ...

March sentencing scheduled for former Arkansas state senator LITTLE ROCK — A federal judge has scheduled a new sentencing date for a former Arkansas Senate president who pleaded guilty to spending more than $150,000 in campaign funds on personal items. U.S. District Judge Brian Miller said Tuesday that the sentencing for Paul Bookout will now be March 2 in federal court in Little Rock. Bookout had been set for sentencing last month but Miller delayed the proceedings at the request of Bookout's attorneys...

Ex-cop scattered casings, fired shots to back up fake story ENGLAND, Ark. — A former police officer in Arkansas who admitted to fabricating a story that he was shot during a traffic stop has been arraigned. Court documents say Sgt. David Houser made it look like a shooting occurred by scattering shell casings in the road and firing rounds into a nearby field. Houser initially said a driver he pulled over had brandished a handgun and shot him Oct. 24. He later amended his story to say he shot himself in...

Consumer Alert: Car financing tips for service membersLITTLE ROCK — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reports that military service members often become targets of scammers when purchasing or financing a vehicle, including paying money to a scammer posing as a lender who takes their money and disappears. Meanwhile, overseas deployments, or a change-of-duty station, can create financial stress and unique financial difficulties. And some unscrupulous lenders target service members by ...

After the VTech hack, some tips on keeping your kids safeNEW YORK — Parents around the world have been understandably shaken by the hacking of a VTech database containing information on the more than 6 million children who use the company’s toys. But what’s a parent to do? Internet-connected toys such as VTech’s tablets continue to grow in popularity and are expected on many holiday gift lifts this season. Here are some answers to common questions about VTech’s breach and how to protect your kids’ i...

Suspect in stabbing flees from scene and is arrested laterThe Russellville Police Department (RPD) investigated an alleged stabbing Saturday afternoon on Damascus Road. A 25-year-old woman was arrested with the help of the Dardanelle Police Department. According to information provided by RPD Public Information Officer Drew Latch, officers responded to a stabbing at 2:43 p.m. Saturday at the 100 block of Damascus Road. Police determined the suspect had fled the scene before their arrival. The victim ...

Court reverses drunken-driving convictionLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas appeals court judges have reversed and dismissed a drunken-driving conviction, ruling that it resulted from an unconstitutional sobriety checkpoint. The Little Rock Democrat-Gazette reports that Jeremy Whalen was convicted in 2014 after being arrested at an Arkansas State Police checkpoint in 2012. In the decision Wednesday, Judge Waymond Brown wrote there was no evidence presented to support Whalen’s conviction. Whalen’...